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Solar Battery Chargers

July 14, 2010 By

The other day, quite by accident, I stumbled across a short news article posted on http://www.cnet.com/. It reported that on July 8th at the Payerne airbase in Switzerland a solar powered airplane built by the Solar Impulse Corporation, http://www.solarimpulse.com/, had successfully taken off and flown for a full 24 hours. I realize we live in an era when amazing things are occurring on a daily basis. However, I was struck by this announcement for two reasons. The first was simply the technology required to accomplish this feat. The second was how little media attention it had received.

The announcement raised a further question: If airplanes can be engineered to stay aloft for 24 hours using strictly solar and battery technology, can these same technologies be used to power computers and other portable devices?

The answer is yes, the technology can and is being used, but the computers and devices currently available are not yet mainstream enough to catch the attention of most consumers. Laptop computers in particular, such as the one designed by Nikola Knezevic, http://www.nikoladesign.com/, seem to only catch the attention of researchers and adventures doing work in very remote areas. The good news, however, is that at least someone out there is trying. Currently the most practical and affordable option is the use of a solar battery charger. There are several good options available; here are a few for consideration.

1)      Brunton SolarRolls  (http://www.brunton.com/) – easily transportable and have proven to be very popular with campers and backpackers.

2)      Voltaic Systems  (http://www.voltaicsystems.com/) – offer a variety of computer cases and back packs fitted with external solar panels.

3)      Apple Juicz  (http://www.quickertrek.com/) – a solar charger and stylish carrying case specifically designed for MacBooks.

If you have questions concerning wattage needs or other technical issues, please feel free to contact us here at My Technology Pros and we will be pleased to help you identify a solar charging system that is best suited to your needs.

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Going Green (Tech)

June 2, 2010 By

One of our goals here at My Technology Pros is to play an active role in helping the businesses with whom we work reduce their usage of paper, printer cartridges…etc. We feel that it is important to be a shining example in this effort, and as a result are virtually paperless — with one gnawing exception. Our marketing guy, Jim, can’t seem to kick his addiction to legal pads. We keep telling him that using green ink isn’t the same as going green. By last count he easily consumed two full pads in last month alone. There is a glimmer of hope however. It appears that he has scaled down from the true legal sized pads to now using only the letter sized. Next step: iPad!

Here is a list of some of the other green tech measures we have attempted to implement.

  1. All billing and contact management is handled online. Customers are eMailed all correspondence and invoices.
  2. We all telecommute and teleconference. Although we have an office, we rarely all drive there, preferring to conserve energy by driving directly to appointments and meeting with each other online or at a local business.
  3. I’ve worn the same socks for the last month (okay, I’m kidding, fortunately for all of us).Seriously though…we all know there is a cost savings potential for businesses that are able to reduce the flow and storage of paper. We are currently designing an intranet project for the City Mattress Company which will greatly assist their internal communication and efficiency. We would be pleased to consult with you on how to better use technology to help boost your bottom line.
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